At this stage in my life, I feel like I’ve spent more time working with brands on positioning than just about anything else. No matter the industry, effectively identifying where your brand should be positioned in the marketplace is the first step to true marketing success. For many marketers, though, this can be an extremely difficult task.
That’s okay, I want to make this as easy on you as possible. That’s why I’ve broken your brand positioning statement down into three simple questions and a proofreading process.
Three Questions To Ask Before You Write Your Brand Positioning Statement
Start by writing the following down on a piece of paper:
[Brand Name] provides ___(1)___ with ___(2)___ than any other [Your Industry]. We do this by ___(3a)___, ___(3b)___, and ___(3c)___.
Next, ask yourself the following three questions.
1. Who is Your Target Market?
This should be a pretty straight-forward question. Who are the types of businesses or consumers you want your brand to reach? What are their interests? How do they make decisions? Who or what influences them and why? The more specific you can be, the better. Think about all of this, then write down your target market in slot 1.
Examples: Men ages 24 -35; Park Rangers; Upper-Middle Class Expectant Mothers
2. What Unique Value Do You Provide Them?
What do you think you’re the best in the world at? What value do you provide your customers that no one else can provide? What service offering are you most confident in?
Examples: The lowest prices on sporting goods, The highest quality hats, More peace of mind
3. Why Should They Believe You?
How can you back this up? This could mean anything from showing your process to sharing data statements to prove that you’re for real. Make a list of three reasons to believe.
Example:
a. We eliminate overhead by selling online.
b. We form partnerships with major brands to sell their overstock content.
c. We can match any other price you find online.
Proofreading Your Brand Positioning Statement
If you’ve been playing along, you should have a brand positioning statement drafted up. Here’s mine:
Brice Co. provides Men ages 24 -35 with lower prices on sporting goods than any other sporting goods store. We do this by eliminating overhead, forming strategic partnerships with major brands, and matching any other price on the web.
This isn’t a bad start. Remember, if you’re doing this right, it means that your brand positioning statement is internal-facing only. This shouldn’t be viewed as an elevator pitch or a tagline but rather as an opinion on who you are and who you want to be. Here are a few questions you should ask as you proofread your Brand Positioning Statement:
- Can we really stake claim to this position? Does someone else provide this value to this market better than we do? How can we adjust our target market or offerings to better position ourselves?
- Does this leave room for future growth? Can we change one element to attack new verticals or would we need to rewrite the entire positioning statement?
- How comfortable is the rest of the company with this position? Are we comfortable being the low cost provider, or would we rather be a luxury good? Does this positioning statement match your brand’s essence?
If you’re looking for more help defining your brand’s position in the marketplace, you should do a full brand audit. Simply click the button below and we’ll send you our FREE DIY Brand Audit to help your company take the next step towards dominating your market.
